We all know that trees, shrubs and ornamental plants can beautify a house and certainly increase its curb appeal. Usually, that is. There are some, however, that don’t help, like when they’ve grown to completely obscure an attractive façade, or when their roots have started to invade the foundation of the home like a malicious tumor, bringing in moisture and threatening the substance of the whole structure.

The "tree" in the chimney here, right at the front of a house I just showed, is probably not a serious threat. But it's on a beautiful old house on a beautiful block in a great neighborhood. It’s an expensive house as well, with gracious proportions and a top dollar asking price. When we looked at old pictures from a previous sale of the same property a couple of years ago, my buyer immediately discovered the same plant crowning up there– just a little smaller at the time.

Most good agents will have a thorough walk-through with their sellers before a house goes on the market. They will explain how prospective buyers will see the place, what kind of features appeal to a wide range of buyers, and what will be a red flag for many of them. Part of the staging process—no matter how much money the seller is willing or able to spend—should always be a critical look at maintenance issues. Weeds in the gutters, cracked window panes or a little rotten wood on a deck might be harmless in the specific home, but they will have a buyer wonder what other, invisible problems have not been taken care of. Or they will outright be scary and make the buyer run.

That said, of course it's up to the sellers to take their agent's advice or to ignore it.

Recently, I wrote about the importance of regular fireplace and chimney maintenance.... Well, let’s not go there. Let’s just say, some trees clearly take away from the beauty of a property.

Comments

The agent may very well have spoken with the seller about the tree in the chimney. The agent may care a whole lot about how the house presents. But the agent doesn't own the home, the seller does, and if they won't do anything about it, the only thing the agent can do is to make sure it is priced correctly for the condition it is in, or walk away from the listing.

Posted by Kelly Sibilsky (Licensed Through Referral Connection, LTD.) over 9 years ago

Hi Kelly--thanks for pointing this out! You instantly make me feel guilty; maybe that poor listing agent is totally frustrated with them! (I'll go back right away and change the text a bit to reflect this.) It was just funny that the previous people didn't bother, either. I'd think a chimney sweep could take care of the thing in a second...

Hi Kate, yes, that would be a great idea, and it's something I suggest to sellers when there are items that are in questionable shape. I have, however, found that few are open to the idea. They are afraid there would be additional things found to disclose, and they think that the buyers will have their own inspection anyway. Oh, well.